8 Days & Counting: 103DEC Poster - originally posted 22.7.2011

Originally posted 22.7.2011

DEC 'warmly supports' 103DEC Crisis Appeal by 103 The Eye - originally posted 30.7.2011

"This is the first famine in a century that should never have known famine. 

"Thousands of people have already died and millions are on the edge of survival. 

"The most vulnerable are the children and the elderly. 

"Yet a little money makes a real difference to these precarious lives, which is why the Disasters Emergency Committee warmly supports the all-day East Africa Crisis Appeal by 103 The Eye on Saturday 30 July. 

"Thank you and your listeners for helping those in so much need."

Brendan Paddy

Communications Manager

Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)

Originally posted 30.7.2011

Listen to 103DEC supporting the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal. RIGHT HERE! NOW! - originally posted 31.7.2011

Listen to 103 The Eye's DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal all day broadcast, live, here.

RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW! And through to 8pm tonight.

DON'T WAIT TO DONATE:

• Call the DEC 24 hour hotline 0370 60 60 900
• Donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office
• Send £5 by texting CRISIS to 70000
• Send a cheque to DEC Secretariat, 1st Floor, 43 Chalton Street, London NW1 1DU 

Originally posted 31.7.2011

Thanks to everyone for 103 The Eye's all-day 103DEC Appeal broadcast - originally posted 31.7.2011

So proud of 103 The Eye, directors, presenters & listeners for supporting the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal all-day broadcast yesterday. Thank you all for your phone calls, email & text messages and for your donations direct to the DEC.

We'd also like to thank our interviewees for their enthusiasm and willingness to be involved in the 103DEC project. 

All the interviews featured during yesterday's broadcast will be posted here and on YouTube shortly.

Thanks too to the DEC for supporting the 103DEC broadcast initiative. We hope other local radio stations will follow 103's lead and dedicate broadcasting to the very real need to raise awareness of the millions living on the edge or survival in the Horn of Africa.

THANK YOU ALL! & PLEASE CONTINUE TO DONATE!

Originally posted 31.7.2011
 

Some of the 103 The Eye PRESENTERS responsible for the 103DEC all-day broadcast on Saturday 30 July - originally posted 1.8.2011

L-R: Mitch de Faria (103DEC), Liz Hewitt (photos), Christine Slomkowska (103 Director)

Photo: Patrick McCracken

BR L-R: Mitch de Faria, Christine Slomkowska, Patrick McCracken

FR L-R: Billy Ray, Sharon Love

Photo: Liz Hewitt

L-R: Mark Henshaw, Ben Atkinson

Photo: Courtesy of The Melton Times

L-R: Patrick McCracken, Mitch de Faria, Christine Slomkowska 

Photo: Liz Hewitt

L-R: Mitch de Faria, Christine Slomkowska

Photo: Liz Hewitt

Originally posted 1.8.2011

Thanks to 103DEC interviewees & Leicester Mercury feature - originally posted 4.8.2011

Many thanks to all the 103DEC interviewees, who have responded to our thanks & feedback by saying if there's anything else they can do to help us...  
Only wish 103 The Eye & other local radio stations could do more to help those in so much need in East Africa.

 Leicester Mercury 4 August 2011

Originally posted 4.8.2011

 

Melton Times 103DEC cutting - originally posted 4.8.2011

Melton Times 4 August 2011
(Click image to enlarge) 

Originally posted 4.8.2011

QUESTION: Can 103 The Eye FM do more to help as the situation in East Africa worsens? - originally posted 5.9.2011

In light of the worsening situation in East Africa announced today, perhaps 103 The Eye and its generous workforce of presenters & volunteers could do something more to assist the DEC Crisis Appeal?

With 103DEC on 30 July, 103 The Eye did something unique and the DEC told us at the time it wished other radio stations would do something similar.

There's a limit to the number of days & of the effectiveness of special broadcasts we can manage locally, so your ideas about how 103 might possibly continue to help, perhaps via other radio stations, or perhaps via other means, will be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you for your continuing support!

Originally posted 5.9.2011

Thanks from 103DEC for your DEC ideas - originally posted 13.9.2011

As the situation continues to deteriorate in the Horn of Africa, on 5 September we asked followers of 103DEC to suggest ways that 103DEC & 103 The Eye FM might do more to assist the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) & their East Africa Crisis Appeal.

As we stated then, the number of days & the effectiveness of special radio broadcasts are limited, so we require other, different, ideas on which to base future promotional activity. 

The good news is that having received many quality responses, 103DEC is considering your suggestions and we will report our findings & any future action very soon.

Many thanks indeed to everyone who took the trouble to get in touch: 103DEC & 103 The Eye FM can continue to assist the DEC only with the support & encouragement of our radio listeners. 

Originally posted 13.9.2011 

Christmas Update - originally posted 25.12.2011

It's Christmas Day. It's quiet, mild for the time of year, and raining. I'm just home from presenting my Christmas radio show on 103FM.

As a chicken roasts in the oven and I'm about to tuck into a snack of cheese, biscuits and strawberries, I reflect how lucky and thankful I am to have a roof over my head and plenty to eat.

For one reason or another many people around the world have been deprived of life's essentials this year, none more so than in Somalia and the neighbouring drought-hit countries of East Africa.

Of all my activities in the past 12 months I'm proudest of what my broadcaster colleagues and I achieved on 30 July during our day-long transmission to raise awareness of the famine in the Horn of Africa, a campaign linking 103FM with the Disasters Emergency Committee, which we called 103DEC.

It was no easy matter persuading either the radio station managers or the Disasters Emergency Committee that local radio had the reach and audience to raise funds, which we as a station weren't able to take on directly. But our enthusiasm and the obvious need couldn't in the end be denied and on the day itself everyone associated with 103 was firmly on board.

We'll never know how much money our day's broadcasting raised although our listener numbers, phone calls, emails and Internet take-up were all substantially increased from usual Saturday figures and we can only hope that those who committed to give money to the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal actually did so.

It's quite something that a small radio station, albeit with a substantial geographical reach and listenership, is willing to donate an entire day's output for the greater good of an emergency taking place not just beyond our own East Midlands region but outwith the UK. 

It proves that local radio, so often accused of leaving larger issues to terrestrial broadcasters, is able to construct high quality, meaningful content that reflects the concerns of its audience even when those concerns are bigger, international, humanitarian issues. 

I believe that's something in which everyone involved can be justifiably proud.

Wishing you good things this Christmas and always.


For the full 103DEC story visit www.103dec.blogspot.com
Up to date images from East Africa by the BBC available here.

Originally posted 25.12.2011